Speak No Evil
by lillyankh
Summary: LightxL. Light has learned that it is better if he doesn’t talk about this. If no words are spoken, then L can pretend it isn’t happening. Violence and dark themes in later chapters.
1. First Time

Here I go again, writing more Death Note fiction. I'm pretty sure I should be doing an essay of some description right now. Oh well.

Speak No Evil is centred around L's shame over being with Light; something I've always thought would be an issue if they were in a relationship. It starts when Light and L are chained together, Light having no memory of being Kira, then carries on through the solving of the Yotsuba arc. This is mostly written from Light's perspective.

Disclaimer: I don't own Death Note in any shape or form, but then, you all knew that…

Read on, MacDuff.

* * *

**First Time**

Light has learned that it is better if he doesn't talk about this. If no words are spoken, then L can pretend it isn't happening. So Light remains mute, silently revelling in his mind that he has found the detective's weakness, found a way to bring L down from his mighty pedestal to see that he is just as fallible as the rest of us.

-x-

The first time took them both by surprise.

Light tugged angrily at the chain around his wrist, trying to get the detective's attention. For the past ten or so minutes, L had done nothing but stare blankly at the wall. He even held a sugar cube motionless between two fingers, poised just above the small tower he had been constructing. It was as if L had suddenly removed himself from time, frozen in motion, like a photograph.

"Ryuzaki, seriously, if you don't move soon I will drag you out of the room."

Light expected some off-hand remark about how his violent tendencies increased his Kira percentage, but L remained immobile. Light gave another tug at the chain, wondering if he was being ignored for a specific reason or if L had simply spaced out.

"Come on, Ryuzaki. I need to go to sleep, and I can't just crash on the sofa."

Still no response from the raven-haired mastermind. Frustrated, Light gave him a half-hearted shove, hoping L would take the hint and get up.

He did not expect L to keel forwards and fall head-first into the coffee table.

Crockery and sugar cubes scattered across the floor, and it was only Light's exceedingly quick reflexes that allowed him to grab L's shirt before he cracked his skull open. Light pulled the detective up to face him, intending to scream blue murder about how immature and stubborn it was to act like that. His voice faltered when he realised what had happened.

L's eyes were half-lidded and dull, his breathing so shallow and quiet that for one heart-wrenching moment Light thought he was dead.

_Freak fell asleep with his eyes open._

_How is that even possible? He should have collapsed, not stayed in the exact position he was in when he was awake._

Light had only ever seen L asleep a handful of times, usually late at night. L would pass out in front of his laptop, his notes reeling out endless streams of letters as he drooled on the keyboard. This, however, was something new.

But then, who would notice someone was asleep if their eyes were open? Light wondered how many times L had been like this before. For all he knew, the detective could be taking naps all the time. Had he been dozing whilst the team worked? Catching forty winks whilst Matsuda eagerly described his latest undercover mission? No wonder L never slept at night.

Still, whether that was the case or not, Light wasn't going to let the opportunity to get a decent night's sleep himself go to waste. After a moment's consideration of how exactly to carry L – Light may have been a tennis champion, but he was hardly strong by any standards – he eventually decided that bridal style was the most practical.

Light gently gathered the L up in his arms and headed towards their bedroom, feet light on the floor to avoid waking the detective. L had now evolved from his bizarre rigor mortis-like slumber into a more natural sleep, his eyes closed and face peaceful. He sighed and nuzzled into Light's chest, gripping onto the younger man's shirt.

Light blushed, uncertain how to react to this. _Maybe I should have just thrown him over my shoulder…_ Deciding that L was not currently responsible for his actions, Light continued towards their room, resolutely ignoring the fact that L's other arm was lazily snaking around his body.

Light bumped open the door with his hip, still trying to keep quiet. He felt like a mother putting her child to bed. However, as he lay L down on the mattress, he discovered a problem.

L was now clinging onto him for dear life, and would not let go.

"You're supposed to be the world's greatest detective, not a freaking _monkey!"_ Light hissed, prying porcelain fingers from his shirt.

L stirred, his eyelids fluttering.

_Oh, come on._ _I shout at you, push you over and carry you halfway across a building, and _this_ wakes you up?!_

In a desperate attempt to soothe the detective back to sleep, Light softly stroked L's ebony hair, still slowly dislodging L's grip with the other hand. "Shhh, shhh," he whispered. "It's ok. Don't wake up. Shhh."

But to no avail. L opened his eyes, dazed and befuddled. His eyes half-focussed on Light above him, brow furrowed in confusion.

Light realised that he was currently lying on top of L as a result of the detective's hold on him. Blushing deeply, he went to move away, but stopped when L brought a hand up to gently touch Light's cheek.

Light looked down at the detective, surprised. L was studying him as if seeing him for the first time, his eyes clouded with unreadable emotions. Light thought he could feel L's heart beating erratically, but then he realised it was his _own_ heart pumping a staccato against his ribcage.

What was this?

Sure, Light didn't deny that L was good-looking in his own way, and he may have cast one or two sidelong glances at the man when they were in the shower, but this was more than that. This felt closer to _desire_, something Light had never experienced towards another human being, male or female. Light wondered briefly if he was developing some kind of Stockholm syndrome, if this was a psychological symptom of their close proximity –

And then their lips met.

Light couldn't tell whether he had leaned down or L had leaned up, but right now he didn't _care_, couldn't think about anything other than how _good_ this felt; Ryuzaki beneath him, those slender fingers tangled in his hair, the kiss deep and passionate and _perfect_. He had never felt this, not with Takada, certainly not with Misa, and he didn't want it to end.

Pulling away for air, Light looked down at L. The detective's eyes were closed, not in sleep, but in contentment.

Wanting to say something to break the silence, Light smiled wryly.

"I didn't know you swung that way, Ryuzaki."

L's eyes flew open once more, this time his face contorted in horror. The hands that had been caressing Light's back now dug painfully into his shoulders as he harshly threw off the younger man. Eyes still wide with shock, L turned away and folded in on himself, shaking.

Light was stunned. Why on Earth had L reacted like that? He seemed to have no qualms about what they were doing thirty seconds ago.

"L…" He reached out a hand.

"Don't TOUCH me!"

The anger scared him, and his hand froze in mid-air. Still not looking at him, L crawled off the bed and sat on the floor, curled in a ball. When Light moved to see if he was all right, L actually dove _under_ the bed to escape him, the chain between them taut as L tried to get as far away as physically possible.

Clearly, L hadn't wanted the kiss to happen. But then, Light had hardly expected it either, and he wasn't cowering under the mattress. Light sighed, irritated. The one time L shows anything vaguely close to human emotion, he has to freak out.

Annoyed at himself as much as the detective, Light gave one last spiteful pull at the chain. He was rewarded with a tug back so hard that the cuff tore painfully at the skin on his wrist, nearly wrenching his hand out of the socket.

Maybe it wasn't such a good idea to provoke L right now.

* * *

Alright, there's the first chapter for you. I hope it was to your liking. Next part should be up in three days or so.

Just a warning: whilst this chapter is rather light, the story does get dark later on.

Reviews are always greatly appreciated.


	2. A Victory

Chapter two here. Less cuteness, more intrigue.

Thanks to all those who reviewed, favourited and alerted the first chapter. I replied to all the reviews I could, but some weren't signed, so I shall say thanks to you guys here. You all get a single red rose for your kindness.

Anyway, on with the story! There's a bit of lemon in this, but nothing M-rated. No like, no read.

* * *

**A Victory**

Light sat at the computer, rubbing his raw wrist. L wasn't looking at him, hadn't done so the entire morning, hadn't even said a word to him until the rest of the Investigation Team arrived, and even then it was only when addressing them as a whole.

Every time Light glanced over at the detective, L would be eating cheesecake, or reading case notes, all the while completely ignoring Light's presence. It was infuriating. Determined to get a reaction, Light reached out, intending to snatch the papers from between L's fingers.

L flinched. Actually _flinched._

That did it.

"Oh, for the love of God, will you just quit it, Ryuzaki? You're acting like a child."

L finally turned his head to stare at Light with those black-hole eyes. "I'm sorry, Light," he said, the tiniest hint of bitterness in his voice. "I'm just a bit jumpy today. You see, I was attacked last night."

Light narrowed his eyes. "I think you'll find that you were the one who assaulted me, Ryuzaki," he spat, brandishing his wrist.

"Is everything alright?" Matsuda asked, looking concerned.

"Yes, Matsuda, it's fine." L replied blandly, before going back to stirring his tea.

Back to ignoring Light.

"Ryuzaki, you are possibly the single most annoying human being I have ever met! Look at me. LOOK AT ME!"

Razing a curious eyebrow but still staring at the swirling sugarpaste in his cup, L smiled slightly. "A tad overdramatic, hmm, Light? Do you crave my attention? Perhaps you are indeed Kira. After all, Kira thrives on attention. He is like a stubborn child, throwing a tantrum until his mother gives him a biscuit. Although most children probably wouldn't commit mass murder for a cookie…"

Enraged, Light ground his teeth together and clenched his fist so hard he left half-moon marks across his palms. He would not rise to L's bait, not this time. Taking a few shuddering breaths, he managed to dispel the red haze that had swallowed his vision.

"I wish you wouldn't accuse me of being Kira, Ryuzaki. I can assure you that I am not."

"Words, Light, only words."

"Really? And what are your claims of my guilt, if not words?"

"Truth."

"How can you be so arrogant? Just because _you_ happen to think something doesn't make it truth."

"Can the same not be said of you? You _thought_ you might be Kira, and then you _thought_ that you were not. Which one of those should I believe?"

Light let out a frustrated groan. "You should believe me when I say that I'm not Kira, because, _guess what? _I'M NOT KIRA!"

L paused, the teaspoon lightly tapping at his lips as he stared up at the ceiling. "You know, I have a hypothesis about that. Certainly, you are not acting as Kira right now – we know that a member of Yotsuba currently has that power. Perhaps, with the transfer of the ability to kill, memories are lost as well."

Light could see the threads of a winning argument weaving around him. He quickly snatched at one before it faded away. "By that reasoning, anyone could have been Kira. Even – no, _especially_ you, L."

That got L to look at him. "Explain."

"Well, think about it. You said yourself that you are a stubborn and childish individual, qualities you just attributed to Kira. You most certainly fit the intelligence profile, and your ideas of justice are skewed enough to engineer a way to frame me for it."

L frowned. "How do you suppose that?"

"You were perfectly happy to let Lind L Taylor die. A convicted criminal, dying at the hands of Kira, in a special broadcast designed to find his location. You could have already picked me out because of my IQ and my father's position in the Police Force. Kidnapping and false imprisonment don't appear to be beneath you, either. Maybe you passed on your power to someone in Yotsuba when it seemed you couldn't get me incarcerated for good."

For a moment, L seemed unable to come up with a reply. Light sensed victory. "I only did what was necessary, Light. It's not false imprisonment if my accusations turned out to be true. And Lind L Taylor was going to die anyway."

"_Everyone_ is going to die anyway, Ryuzaki. It doesn't make murder any better."

L fell silent, mouth open slightly as though expecting his brain to supply a comeback but being sorely disappointed.

A satisfied grin spread across Light's face; he had _won_.

Their banters were like sparring matches, each circling the other, testing, landing glancing hits before darting away. This time, Light had dealt the killing blow.

L still said nothing, resorting to staring Light down with such intensity that Light had to feign interest in a document on the desk beside him to escape the detective's gaze.

_I beat you at your own game, L. Accept it._

-x-

By the end of the day, Light's nerves were frazzled, his teeth on edge and the hair at the nape of his neck standing on end.

Having spent such a considerable effort getting L to pay attention to him, he had not considered quite how disconcerting it would be if the detective then did nothing but stare at him.

For the whole day.

The man hadn't even paused to eat – whenever Watari or another member of the team brought him cake or another cup of heart-attack-sweet tea, he would pick it up slowly, without looking, never removing his eyes from Light.

It wouldn't be so bad, Light reasoned, if he knew what L was trying to achieve with this.

As soon as the last member of the team had closed the door on his way out, Light turned on the detective.

"What the hell is your problem, Ryuzaki?"

The only response L gave was to begin chewing his thumbnail in that maddening way he often did. Light angrily stomped the short distance to L's chair, slamming his hands down on the armrests and leaning right into the detective's face.

"See how you like it," he growled.

L's eyes widened and he leaned back a little. Light leaned in further after him. He wasn't going to lose this one.

It wasn't until he saw deep red pooling at the corners of L's mouth that he realised just how hard the detective was biting down on his thumb.

"Wh… Stop it, you're hurting yourself!" His anger temporarily forgotten, Light snatched L's hand away from his mouth. The bite marks were deep and bleeding quite badly. Light grabbed a napkin from the tray on the table and blotted the wound, the white paper quickly blooming red. Annoyed once more, Light snapped his head up to glare at L.

"What did you go and do something like that for?"

Light was still holding L's injured hand, and those delicate fingers began to curl and dig into the younger man's wrist. Light suddenly realised that the detective had gone even paler and his breathing was erratic, like he was afraid.

"Hey, why – _mrmph_!"

This time, it was definitely L who made the first move. He launched himself at Light, grabbing his shirt collar and pulling him into a desperate, crushing kiss.

Taken aback by the force of it, Light staggered backwards until his legs met the arm of the sofa and they both toppled over, still entangled. L's tongue plundered Light's mouth and his hands ran all over his body. Light moaned into the kiss, his own hands clutching at the soft white material of L's shirt.

He could feel something digging into his leg.

_Ah. So that's why. _

_Ryuzaki – L, does my aggression excite you? Do I make you hot?_ Something deep and dark within him chuckled._ Looks like you're not as untouchable as you think you are. _

Their lips still locked, Light began to slide his hand inside L's jeans. He wanted the man to be entirely at his mercy, to submit to him and lose all of that tightly held control.

Most of all, Light wanted the detective to _know_ the power he had over him.

As L buried his head in Light's shoulder, gasping and moaning at his ministrations, Light smirked and whispered, "If I'd realised I could win arguments with this before, I'd have done it months ago."

L jerked up, swiftly removing Light's hand and springing off the sofa in one movement. He turned to run off, only stopping when he remembered the chain. For the first time since those cuffs had been snapped on, L actually seemed annoyed that he couldn't leave without dragging Light with him.

"The hell?! Christ, Ryuzaki, make your mind up." Light sat up, noticing with some annoyance that L's thumb had still been bleeding and his shirt was now spotted with crimson. "You're acting particularly schizophrenic lately."

L just stood there, his back to Light, clenching and unclenching his fists.

Light got up and slowly approached the detective, wary of how he would react. "Just relax." He put his arms around L's waist. "I'll make you forget about all those facts and percentages."

L twisted deftly out of Light's grasp by deliberately buckling his legs, spinning to punch the younger man in the stomach, hard. Light doubled over, coughing, and L once again maximised the distance between them and turned away.

Light could hear him muttering to himself.

"Nothing, this is nothing, just a reaction, base instincts temporarily taking over, I'm fine, this is nothing, it doesn't mean anything, I'm still detached, I haven't compromised anything…"

L was freaking out, not because he was engaging in homosexual activities, but because it was Light who was making him feel like this.

Because it was Kira making him feel like this.

And whilst Light might be assured of his innocence, L was not, and a little something like a physical relationship with the prime suspect was certainly enough to rattle the detective.

Not one to give up so easily, Light silently walked up to L, cautious, like a lion stalking a spooked gazelle. He had picked up on the fact that L only seemed to react when Light made a remark on the situation. Perhaps, if he said nothing, L would allow himself to be carried away by this.

Light slid his arms around L once more and began to gently kiss the detective's pale neck. L didn't fight back this time, leaning his head to the side. When Light looked up, L's eyes had fluttered shut and his face was calmer.

He was still muttering, but quieter now.

"Just a… just a reaction, nothing… mmm… doesn't mean anything…"

_Very well, L, I will let you cling to your foolish rationalisations for now. _

_But you are mine._

* * *

Phew. Chapter complete!

Took a little longer than anticipated, because I got a bit stuck halfway when Light decided he wanted to take things further than I had expected him to…

So L is freaking out because Light is his chief suspect, and any time Light reminds him of that, L reacts somewhat violently. What could happen next? You'll have to wait and see.

I hope you liked it. Next chapter may be in about a week, because I'm taking a short holiday over the weekend.

Reviews are much loved.


	3. Play the Game

I'm back, and here's chapter three! I was staying with a friend, and I wrote most of it on the train there and back, typing it up when I got home. Trains suck, by the way.

Thanks again for all the reviews/favourites/alerts; it warms my heart when I open my emails to see a whole load from you guys. I baked a cake today and you may all have a virtual slice.

Oh yeah, I'm supposed to be posting a story.

Allusions to sex are made in this chapter, again nothing too detailed, but read at your own risk. Slight dubious consent issues here, too… it's a bit of a grey area whether L says it's ok or not.

Anyway, read on, if you so wish.

* * *

**Play the Game**

The next morning, Light awoke with L in his arms. He chuckled – finally, he'd found something to make the man sleep.

Truly, Light had never intended to actually have sex with the detective, but having L writhe and shiver and make such dirty sounds because of _him_ had been more of a turn-on than he had expected.

It was like a game: to see just how loudly and passionately he could get L to scream without freaking him out.

In fact, either L was a lot more attracted to Light than he had realised, or had had no previous experience, as he had been so lost in carnal pleasure that he had only protested once during the whole event, and even then Light had forced down the hands that were scratching painfully at him and swept L away once more with a few well-placed kisses and touches.

However, Light wasn't entirely sure L was a 'morning after' person, so he disentangled himself and turned to face the wall until the detective woke up.

He must have fallen asleep, because the next thing he knew he was being dragged out of bed by an absolutely furious – and fully clothed – L. L had the slack of the chain wrapped tightly around his wrist and was using it to pull Light out of the bed and onto the carpet. His face burned with rage and embarrassment as he realised Light was still naked, and he roughly threw a pair of boxers and some trousers at the younger man.

"Put those on. Now."

Light raised a challenging eyebrow. He knew it was stupid, but he couldn't resist goading L. "You have a problem with my body? Because you seemed fine last night…"

He'd expected the punch; even managed to dodge the brunt of it. What he hadn't expected was for L to turn away and smack his own head into the wall. Repeatedly.

"What – why do you keep hurting yourself?! Stop it, you idiot! Do you want to destroy one of the world's finest minds by dashing your brains out against a wall?"

L turned to look darkly at Light. "Get dressed," he spat. "Then you're going to come with me to the kitchen and get breakfast. And then we are going to continue the investigation and _never speak of this again_."

This time, Light wisely chose to keep his thoughts to himself.

-x-

Light was surprised to see Watari waiting for them, sat on a chair with a tray of cakes and tea in front of him. The man did not look happy.

_Of course,_ Light realised._ The cameras. Did you watch, you pervert? Did you get off on it?_

As soon as they came in, Watari went over to L, putting his arm protectively around the man's shoulders and leaning in to speak quietly and hurriedly in English. Light was fairly competent in the language, but he could barely make out what was being said. From the tone, though, he could discern that Watari was likely warning the detective.

"I'm fine, Watari," L snapped. "Just _fine_. Please do not trouble yourself."

Switching back to Japanese, Watari turned to Light, his fake smile laced with malice. "Very well. I shall leave you two to your meal. Remember that I am only in the observation room, should you need me."

_Should you try anything, you mean. _

-x-

The rest of the day had been tense and awkward. L's hair hadn't quite covered the purple bruise across his forehead, and Light's cheek had swollen considerably, so the team had assumed that the two must have fought again.

L had thrown himself into the investigation, coming up with theories at the speed of sound. But his every action seemed forced, filled with tension, which finally reached breaking point when Light bumped into the detective accidentally as they were walking across the room.

Light suddenly found himself on the ground, L staring down at him with a strange expression. Light wasn't sure if the detective was going to kill him or mercilessly pound him into the floor, team or no team.

But L just stood there until Light picked himself up.

In the evening, they were shadowed by Watari. Clearly, the man didn't trust Light to be left alone with the detective.

It was L who took offence, quietly informing Watari that he could perfectly well take care of himself, thank you, and that there was no need for some paternal bodyguard to follow him around all evening like he was a schoolgirl on a date.

Watari left, his face dark, shooting one last warning glare at Light as he closed the door behind him.

L turned to see Light looking at him with an amused expression, one eyebrow raised and a cocky smile playing across his face.

"Is there a particular reason you are grinning like that, Light, or are you just generally amused?"

Light's only response was to raise his eyebrow higher and fold his arms across his chest.

"If Light is insinuating that I dismissed Watari so hastily in order to continue with the… _activities_ of last night, then he is quite mistaken. I can assure you that I have no intention of repeating such things."

Light slowly advanced as L spoke, the detective walking backwards until his back met the wall. With no obvious route of escape, Light pressed himself against L, his smile now predatory.

"If you could just take a step back, please, Light," L whispered, avoiding the younger man's smouldering gaze.

Light ignored him, instead lightly stroking L's cheek before kissing him, deep and forceful. L brought an arm up to hit Light, but there was little force behind the blow and Light easily caught it, twisting it round so that the detective's hand rested at his waist. L had already stopped resisting, his other hand entwined in auburn hair as Light carefully walked them to the bedroom.

The chain clanked as Light pushed the detective down on the bed, rousing L from his lust-induced stupor. He started to pull away again, struggling, but Light had removed most of their clothing by this point, and he knew exactly what to do to make L give in.

L's eyes widened and he arched back as Light took him into his mouth. "Maybe… uhn… maybe just this once… but it's… ah… it's not happening again…this is the… hah… the last time…"

He was wrong, of course.

-x-

It was like this for some time; during the day, L would concentrate only on the investigation, seemingly as determined to act as if nothing was happening between him and Light as he was to catch Higuchi. He would continue this pretence well into the night, until Light could wear his defences down enough to make L surrender and give in to the base part of himself he tried so hard to ignore. In the morning, L would silently extricate himself from Light's arms, and the charade would begin again.

But the detective was slipping.

Each day, L would give in just a little bit sooner, respond just a little bit more eagerly. He would sometimes stare at Light with such hungry intensity that even Matsuda got suspicious. And whilst L was still very much engrossed in the investigation, he seemed distracted, like he was worrying about something else.

He rarely accused Light of being Kira any more.

Light loved this, loved the power he had over L, loved the way the detective was completely at his mercy.

He loved it even more when his fingers brushed the notebook.

* * *

Suspense! Finally, this story lives up to the category I put it in.

It starts getting dark from here on. Next chapter will be up quicker; probably by Monday at the latest.

Thanks for reading! Reviews are loved.


	4. Change of Plan

Fourth chapter here – possibly the penultimate, depending on whether I choose to split the last chapter into two or not.

Thanks for all the faves and reviews – this is on loads of people's alerts list now! Love to all of you.

Also, special thanks to **sadevesi**, whose review was what inspired me to add in the section about this being "nothing more" than a plan to Light. I had originally intended to leave it as only a passing line in the last chapter, but I brought it forward to this one and embellished. So, thanks!

* * *

**Change of Plan**

The handcuffs may have been taken off, but Light and L were still chained together. Only now, it was L who was Light's prisoner.

The detective was most certainly faltering; Light was certain of it. All it would take was a nudge in the right direction and L would fall completely off the edge, losing his grip on the case and maybe even his mind. Light was impressed that, even without his Kira memories, he had managed to come up with such a devious plan to destroy L.

Because that was all it was. A plan. Nothing more.

There was no way that Light had any feelings towards L besides hatred. No way that his chest tightened whenever the detective gave him that secretive little smile he sometimes did. No way he had started to wish that L would accept their relationship properly so that they could be a real couple. And Light had most certainly never lain awake at night just to watch L as he slept.

Even if he had, that was when he had been Light Yagami. Now, he was Kira, God of the New World, and he would not let personal emotion destroy his carefully wrought plans.

_L will die and Kira will laugh._

-x-

Light let himself back into the Investigation HQ shortly after dark. He had gone home and had dinner with his family, then claimed to have realised something important pertaining to the investigation that he just _had_ to check. Sayu and Sachiko had been sad to see him rush off so soon, but he explained that he would return as soon as he was done.

He found L in his usual chair, staring off into the middle distance. The man looked around as he entered, genuinely surprised by Light's presence.

"Light? Why are you here? I thought you were spending time with your family."

Taken aback by L's reaction, Light faltered. "Can't I spend time with you?"

"I suppose, if you wanted to."

Light was beginning to get worried. If L wasn't as shaken as Light had thought he was, this plan might not work. He would have to do something dramatic.

"It's just… I missed you."

L chewed on his thumbnail as he responded. "A psychological reaction. You have become accustomed to my presence. It will pass in a few days."

Angered by such a callous remark, Light stormed up to the detective, kneeling down so that they were level. "And what about that other thing, hmm? Will _that_ pass in a few days?"

L wouldn't meet his eye. "I don't know what you are referring to."

"Oh, for the love of – Look, this is _pathetic_, Ryuzaki. We. Are. In. A. Relationship. Ok? I am _attracted_ to you. You most certainly seem to reciprocate those feelings. Hell, I might even _love_ you."

At the mention of 'love', L's head snapped up in shock.

_Got you._

"So then why," Light continued, "why do you continue to pretend as if nothing is happening? If you had any real problem with it, you wouldn't have let me take you every night for the past month. And it can't be because you think I'm Kira, because you _know–_"

"No, I don't," L interrupted sharply.

"What? But the 13 day–"

"Yes, I know about that, and what it implies, but there is still a significant amount of my original evidence piled up against you. I cannot remove all suspicion from you just yet."

His face a mask of fury, Light stood. "Well, until you can, I can't do this anymore."

He turned to leave, but not before noticing that L looked considerably pained by his last remark. Light allowed himself one small smile as he marched out of the building, waiting until he was out of the sight of the cameras before laughing at what he had just achieved.

His manipulation had been perfect.

Either L would clear Light entirely and he would be free, or the detective would come up with a plan to test Light's innocence, and Rem would be forced to kill him.

A flawless victory.

-x-

Light saw Rem leave the room and knew what she was about to do. His plan was finally coming to fruition.

_Wait. Not yet. There's still something I want to do._

"Hey, the Shinigami's gone!" Light said, deliberately drawing attention. Feigning shock, he ran out after her. "She's got the Death Note!"

He was glad that nobody followed him. This depended on him being alone.

He found Rem in a side room, pen poised above the paper. She growled menacingly as he entered.

"You _dare_ to come here, when you know what you have forced me to do? Did you come to gloat, Light Yagami, to laugh as I crumble to dust because of your scheming?"

Light ignored her remark, ignored too her subtle glance at the space above his head.

He knew she wouldn't kill him, not when Misa was still in love with him. "Have you written his name yet?"

"I have, and I have also written the name of his assistant. In less than forty seconds I will be dead," Rem spat, glowering.

"Specify a cause of death for L."

"What?! Why?"

"Because I'm sure you want him to suffer for what he put Misa through. I can see to that."

Eyes narrow with suspicion, Rem wrote what Light suspected was '_Suicide'_ in the Death Note. "It is done."

"Thank you, Rem. Now, make sure that the time of death is in the early hours of tomorrow morning."

Rem scribbled a couple more lines. "What do you intend to do? What was so important that you not only killed a Shinigami, but had the audacity to tell her what to write as she dies?"

Light – no, Kira – smiled vampirically. "Victory. I want L to know I have beaten him. I want him to cry at my feet and beg me, Kira, to take it all back and save him. I want to laugh as he dies alone."

Rem shook with anger. _You truly are evil, Light Yagami. I know you are in a relationship with this man, and yet you still do such a thing… How could Misa love such a black-hearted creature?_

As her limbs began to crumble away, she looked up at Light. He was smirking as she disintegrated, revelling in his supposed genius for implementing such a plan.

The Shinigami gave one last glance at her Death Note, and then the swirling symbols above Light's head.

_You would not be smiling so, God of the New World, if you knew what you just brought upon yourself._

_Misa… forgive me… _

_It was all for you._

* * *

SUSPENSE!

Might not be what you think, though – you'll have to wait and see. Next chapter up by... hmmm... Friday?


	5. Unsuspected

Here we are, the final chapter. Oddly enough, the last section of this was the first thing I wrote for this story.

I toyed with the name of this chapter for a while, swinging between "unsuspected", "unexpected" and "caught out". On a whim, I googled the three, and "Unsuspected" came up with an old Claude Reins film of the same name. I thought that the opening intro to the film was eerily fitting to both this story and the Death Note canon, and so I included it at the beginning of this chapter.

**Warning**: This chapter has violence (more so than previous chapters) and death. Although you probably expected that, considering Rem's actions in Change of Plan.

There's no A/N at the end of this chapter because I thought it would detract from the mood of it, so I shall say this here: Thank you to everyone who has read Speak No Evil; I hope you have enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. Your comments really kept me going, and the fact that this story is on the most alerts lists of any I've written warmed my heart. Thanks, guys. I love you all.

With that out of the way, here's the final chapter of Speak No Evil.

**

* * *

**

Unsuspected

"_Tonight, I bring you from the files of the nation's unsolved crimes, a story of  
a murder of rare delicacy and wondrous ease that was called 'Suicide'.  
__Yes, 'suicide', the police called it, yet the murderer walks among us free.  
I might unknowingly have passed him on the street today.  
__He could even have been sitting next to you on the train, or in a café,  
hiding his evil behind a mask, the calm and often smiling mask of  
The Unsuspected."_

As soon as Rem was nothing more than a pile of bone dust, Light sprang into action. He grabbed her Death Note and quickly hid it between two cabinets in the corridor.

Trying to look as distressed as possible, Light ran back into the room where the investigation team were waiting.

"What's happened? Is everyone alright?"

The team turned to him as he entered, faces pale with fear. The only person who didn't look at him was L, who was shouting at his computer screen.

"Watari! WATARI!"

"Oh God," Light whispered. "I thought I stopped her in time…"

L flew across the room at him, grabbing him by his shirt collar. Light had never seen the detective so angry, not even over the past few weeks. "What?! WHAT DID YOU DO?!"

"I-I didn't do anything!" Light protested, eyes shining with tears. "I tried to stop her! The Shinigami, she was going to write all our names in the Death Note! She said that she was following instructions from Kira!"

Everyone gasped in horror. Even L took an unconscious step back.

"But…" Matsuda breathed, "but I thought Rem wasn't on anybody's side…"

"Clearly not," L said, his voice blank. He turned back to Light. "You did well to stop her, Light. We would all be dead if you hadn't."

"I'm… I'm sorry I wasn't faster, L."

L didn't look at him. "Don't. You tried." L sighed, and regained a little of his composure. "Where is the Shinigami now?"

"She crumbled away, along with her Death Note. We don't need to worry any more."

There was a long pause before L said anything. "Very well. I suppose we should get back to work. When Watari– when he was killed, he triggered an emergency program that deleted the majority of our files. We're going to have to work hard to recover the data."

Light nodded as L shakily headed back to his computer station. Light was surprised at how badly the detective had been affected by Watari's death. L hadn't even questioned Light's story, hadn't suspected at all that he may have had a hand in all of this.

Perfect.

Now all Light had to do was wait until nightfall, and he would finally bring the Great L to his knees.

-x-

When everyone left, Light stayed behind, explaining that he didn't want to leave L alone after what had happened. The team all thought this was a very kind thing to do, and Soichiro even embraced his son, telling him what a caring man he was.

If only they knew.

Still keeping up his pretence, Light took a slice of cheesecake and a cup of coffee over to the detective, who was sat staring at his blank computer screen. He had been sat there for a while, numb with shock. He didn't even seem to notice Light.

"Ryuzaki…"

No response.

"L?"

L slowly roamed his eyes over to where Light was standing. Light wasn't sure if the detective actually saw him or was just responding automatically.

"L, wherever you've gone, you have to come back."

L remained as he was, removed from the world.

Needing to coax a reaction, Light bent down and turned L's face up towards him, capturing his lips. At first, L stayed a marble statue, but then he began to melt into the kiss, leaning up and taking Light's face in his hands.

"Light…" he breathed.

_That's the first time you've said my name like that. You really are mine now._

Light stood back up. "I want to talk to you about something."

Now fully roused from his stupor, L tilted his head inquisitively. His eyes were still tinged with sadness. "What is it, Light?"

Light smirked inwardly at the detective. _So fragile, so unsuspecting... I will break you, L._

"I know you probably don't want to think about the investigation right now, but I was wondering – that plan you came up with to test the 13 Day rule…"

L looked away. "Light, I–"

"Don't interrupt me," Light snapped, and L's eyes widened slightly at the tone. "It was because of what I said the other night, wasn't it? But L, I have to know… did you come up with that plan to finally prove I _was_ Kira, or to prove that I _wasn't_?"

_Say it. Say it, so that I will truly have defeated you._

L was silent for some time, staring at the floor. It seemed that he hadn't quite realised why he had done it himself. After a while, he responded quietly, "To prove that you weren't."

_Yes! YES! I have WON, L! I, Kira, made you question yourself, made the World's Greatest Detective think he was wrong! Soon, you will be dead, and I shall be unstoppable._

On the outside, Light only smiled, taking L's hand and kissing it gently. "You have no idea how much that means to me."

L continued to study the tiling. "I assume that your statement from the other night still stands, however. I have yet to actually test the rule, and therefore still cannot be entirely sure you aren't Kira."

Light answered this by placing a tender kiss on L's forehead. "That doesn't matter anymore. Your intention is enough."

L hesitated, drawing back. "It may be for you, but not for me, Light. I haven't even started setting up the test – Watari's deletion of the database changed my priorities slightly."

Light knew how to handle this – his time with Misa had perfected his 'caring boyfriend' side to a tee. "Look, I understand, ok? I know that you can't… you can't commit to anything if you still suspect me. But couldn't we be like a proper couple, just for tonight? I can see that you're grieving over Watari, and it hurts me that I can't hold you, can't comfort you, without you worrying if I'm Kira."

L wavered, his emotions vying with his logical side. "Maybe… maybe just tonight. But I'm setting up that test first thing in the morning."

Light smiled, taking L's hand and leading him to the sofa. He pulled the man into a loving embrace, gently stroking his hair. L sighed, finally dropping his guard and letting himself lean into Light.

"Thank you," L whispered breathlessly.

_No, thank you, L. I hold your heart in my hands._

_And now I will break it._

He did not feel any guilt. None at all.

"Do you know why this is so perfect?" Light asked.

"Why?"

A dark chuckle built in Light's chest and he smirked. "Because I _am_ Kira."

L sprang away, pressing his back against the sofa. He looked scared.

_Good._

"What? You…"

"Are Kira, yes. And I have beaten you. Look at you, cowering there like vermin. You thought you were so high and mighty, this pinnacle of justice, but do you know what you really are, L? Human. And I am a God."

L's face contorted in anger. "So you're saying that, all this time, _I was right_?!"

"Tragic, isn't it? I even convinced you, in the end. And that is how I killed you."

"What is that supposed to – wait, killed? Past tense?" L paled further.

Laughing, Light pulled out the Death Note. He had retrieved it earlier, hiding it under his shirt to torment the detective with. "You were so determined to prove I wasn't Kira that you very nearly proved I was. Rem couldn't have you incriminating me or Misa, so she wrote you and Watari's names down. It was only by my good graces that you didn't die with him.

"Would you like to see how you die, L?"

Light went to open the notebook.

L was consumed with rage. He could not bear this betrayal; could not bear to see Kira show him his defeat.

He launched off the sofa at Kira, tackling the man to the ground, knocking the Death Note away before it could be opened. Slender fingers wrapped themselves around Kira's neck and began to squeeze.

L felt strangely disconnected, like someone else had taken over his body and was acting for him. It wasn't _his_ hands choking Kira, it wasn't _his_ body pressing down on the younger man with enough strength to crack bone. It felt almost like a dream.

He was sure he shouted something at Kira, but he could not hear the words.

Something – a flash of Light in those eyes – stunned him temporarily. But then it was gone, Kira glaring up at him once more, taking advantage of the momentary pause to try and tear the hands away from his neck.

L's hand moved to grab Kira's hair, slamming the evil mastermind's head down onto the tile flooring, hard.

_Crack_.

Kira's eyelids fluttered and his grip loosened. L slammed Kira's head down again.

_Crack._

Kira's eyes unfocussed, his grip now slack. L slammed it again.

_Crack_.

Kira made a strange gurgling sound at the back of his throat. L's hands were wet. He slammed it again.

_Crack_.

And again.

_Crack._

L fell back, breathing heavily. Whatever spell had been holding him broke, and he screamed in wretched horror at what he had done. He reached out, crimson-spattered fingers stopping just short of touching Light's face, as if afraid the man would wake up and take his revenge. Tears fell freely down his cheeks and he began to whimper.

The logical part of his brain took over, shutting down emotional response. _The Death Note… it must be…_

He scrabbled across the floor for the notebook, nearly tearing the pages as he hastily flipped to find the relevant entry.

When he saw what was written there, the last remnants of his mind snapped. He sat in a pool of dark blood, staring at the page, giggling insanely to himself.

He stayed there until his eyes glazed over and his mind was filled with only one thought: _Find a knife._

-x-

The first body that the Investigation Team found was L's.

He was lying in the hallway, his wrists cut to ribbons. The stench of blood and death was unbearable, and more than one member of the team was violently sick.

"Kira…" Aizawa breathed, wiping cold sweat from his brow. "Kira must have killed him, just like he killed Watari. Light wasn't fast enough to stop th–"

"Oh God, Light!" Soichiro cried. "Light never came home last night! He stayed with L, and…"

The man ran through the building, the rest of the team closely behind. They stopped short when they found the second body. Soichiro fell to his knees, sobbing.

Light's head was a bloody mess, his skull smashed on the tiles.

Matsuda noticed the Death Note first, gingerly stepping around the congealed liquid to reach it. Retching, he picked up the slim black notebook. "This must be the Shinigami's," he said, his voice shaky. "She must have written their names before Light interrupted."

Aizawa snatched the Death Note, quickly flicking to find the last entries in the book. He stared for a moment in confusion.

"What? Why isn't – no, no, it can't be!"

Soichiro whirled around to face Aizawa, eyes wild and desperate. "What is it?" When the younger man failed to respond, he took the Death Note himself. He, too, stared in confusion before his face paled with realisation. He showed the rest of the team what was written there.

There were two names in English, followed by a description in Japanese.

_Quillsh Wammy_

_L Lawliet. Suicide. 3am, November 6__th__. Slits wrists after an angry conversation with the youngest member of the Kira Investigation Team._

Light's name was not written in the Death Note.

L had murdered him of his own volition.

* * *


End file.
